Leveling device for derricks



Feb. 19, 1963 B. F. GOLDEN V 3,078,072

LEVELING DEVICE FOR DERRICKS Filed April 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2j 24 Bobby 5 Golden INVENTOR.

Feb. 19, 1963 B. F. GOLDEN LEVELING DEVICE FOR DERRICKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed April 7. 1960 I 8 i\ ilIi !nnnunuu z E w ,7 M Z x w 3,@?5,@?2Patented 1%, 1%53 hree 3,07%,ti72 LEVELING DEVEQE FUR DERREEZS Bobby F.Golden, Box 1125, Kermit, Tex. Filed Apr. 7, i960, Ser. No. 26,749 7Claims. (El. Zed-1M) This invention relates to a novel and usefulleveling attachment for derricks, and more particularly to a levelingattachment specifically adapted for use in leveling jackknife derricks.

The most conventional forms of jackknife derricks are provided with asub-structure or base which forms a foundation for the mast of thederrick. The derrick also includes an A-frame having two pair ofdepending legs. Each pair of depending legs of the A-frame are paralleland the mast of the derrick is provided with two inclined legs which arepivotally secured at their lower-most ends to the lower portions of onepair of A-frame legs. The angulated legs of the mast extend along theone pair of A-frame legs and are secured at their upper end to the upperends of the one pair of A-frame legs. The two legs of the mast sectionare pivotally secured to the lower portions of the one pair of A-framelegs for movement about an axis of rotation extending between thelowermost ends of the mast legs. The mast section of the derrick maythen be pivoted from an upstanding position to a horizontally disposedposition for ease of transporting from one locality to another. When itis desired to erect the mast section of the derrick, it is rotated to asubstantially vertically disposed position and then secured to the upperportions of the legs of the A-frarne.

It is of course extremely important that the substructure or base of thederrick be level so that when the mast section is raised it will bedisposed substantially vertically. In many cases however, thesub-structure or base of the derrick will settle along one side edgethereof and the only previous effective means of leveling the substructure was to wash the ground out from under the high side of thesub-structure or base. Quite frequently, however, the result of thisoperation would be that too much soil or dirt would be removed thennecessitating the soil be washed out from beneath the original low sideof the sub-structure or base.

The present invention provides a means whereby the pair of legs of theA-frarne to which the legs of the mast are secured may be adjustably andvertically positioned relative to the sub-structure or base of thederrick so that the mast may be maintained in a substantially verticallydisposed position. It is to be noted that the present invention willalso, in addition to adjusting the forward and rearward inclination ofthe mast, also enable the sideways inclination ofthe mast to beadjusted.

The main object of this invention is to provide a leveling attachmentfor jackknife derricks and the like which will enable the mast of thederrick to be maintained in a substantially vertically disposedrelation.

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the immediatelypreceding object, is to provide a leveling attachment which will alsoenable the drilling string to be maintained centrally disposed relativeto the rotary table of the derrick.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a levelingattachment which may be easily adapted to substantially every type ofjackknife derrick to perform its desired function.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide aleveling attachment which will conform to conventional forms ofmanufacture, be of simple construc tion and easy to operate so as toprovide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting andcapable of performing its desired function with a minimum amount ofeffort on the part of the workman handling the derrick.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a jackknife type derrick shownwith the leveling attachment comprising the present invention disposedbetween the front legs of the A-frarne and the sub-structure or base ofthe derrick;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the derrick as seen from the leftside of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view of theleveling attachment taken substantially upon a plane passing along thecenter line thereof;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the leveling attachment;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view of the leveling attachment as seenfrom the right side of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantiallyupon a plane indicated by section line 66 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral ltlgenerally designates a jackknife type of derrick having a mast sectiongenerally referred to by the reference numeral 12 and an A-framesupporting member generally referred to by the reference numeral14-whichincludes a pair of rear legs 16 and a pair of front legs 18. Thejackknife derrick 19* is supported by a sub-structure or base generallyreferred by the reference numeral 20 which is in turn supported by theground 22 on which the derrick 19 is placed. The mast section 12 incudesacrownsafety platform 24 and a racking platform 2.6.which are ofconventional design. The mast 12 includes a pair of inclined legs 23which are pivotally secured at their lowersub-structure or base 2% ispositioned on the ground 22 in a horizontally disposed position and themastlZ may be pivoted between a horizontally disposed position and anupstanding position such as that shown in FIGURE 2 about an axis 35extending between the lowermost ends of the legs 23 of the mast 112.

With particular attention directed to FIGURE 2 of the drawings it willbe noted that the legs 28 of the mast 12; have at least a portionthereof extending along the forward legs 18 of the A-frame lid. Theuppermost ends of those portions of the legs 25 are secured to the upperend of the A-frame 1.4 in any convenient manner as at 38 when it isdesired to maintain the mast 12 ina vertically disposed position.

In some cases, due to inclement weather and other fac tors, thesub-structure or base 23 will settle somewhat causing the mast 12. toincline from its substantially vertically disposed position. Thisinclination of the mast 12 not only unbalances the normal stresses onthe derrick 16 but also causes the drilling string to be locatedoff-center with respect to the rotary table of the derrick lid. This ofcourse causes the drill string to rub against.

aoraore 3 41) are interposed between the lowermost ends of the legs 28of the mast 12 and the sub-structure or base 2% see FIGURES l and 2.

The levelingattachment 40 includes a base generally designated by thereference numeral 42 which may be rigidly secured to the sub-structureor base 20 in any convenient manner. A housing generally designated bythe reference numeral 44 extends upwardly from the base 42 and includesa pair of side walls 46 and a pair of end walls 48. The side walls 46and end walls 48 of the housing 44 are secured together in anyconvenient means such as by welding 50 although it is to be understoodthat bolts and/ or rivets may be used such as bolts 52 which areutilized to secure the lower edges of the housing 44 to the outerperipheral edges of the base 42.

A pair of wedge members 54 are disposed in said housing for slidinglongitudinal movement therein over the upper surface of the base 42. Thebase 42 is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending channelswhich are parallel and each of the wedge members 54 has formed on itslower surface two longitudinally extending ribs 53 that are slidablydisposed in the channels 56 for movement therealong.

A lift section generally designated by the reference numeral 60 isslidably disposed in the housing 44, which defines thrust bearing andguide means, for vertical movement toward and away from the base 42.

It will be noted, see FIGURE 4, that the lift section 60 is snuglyreceived within the side and end walls 46 and 48 and that it is providedwith a pair of oppositely inclined lower surfaces 62 which arecomplementary to the oppositely inclined upper surfaces 64 of the wedgemembers 54.

The wedge members 54 are provided with threaded bores 66 and the bores66a and 66b are oppositely threaded. A screw shaft generally referred toby the reference numeral 68 has its opposite end portions journalledthrough the end walls 48 of the housing 44 by means of bearingassemblies 70. The opposite end portions of the screw shaft 68 disposedinwardly of the bearings 70 are oppositely threaded and are threadedlyengaged with the bores 66a and 66b. One end portion of the screw shaft63 is provided with a noncircular extension 72 to which suitable means(not shown) may be secured for eflecting rotation of the screw-shaft 68.It will be noted that upon rotation of the screw shaft 63 that the wedgemembers 54 will be moved toward and away from each other between the endwalls 48 of the housing 44. As the wedge members are moved apart, thelift section 60 is raised and when the wedge members are moved towardeach other the lift section 60 is lowered toward the base 42. Theinclined surfaces 64 of the wedge members 54 are each provided with atleast one rib portion '74 which is slidably received in a channel 76formed in the inclined surfaces 62 of the lift section 69. Thus, notonly do the walls 46 and 48 of the housing 44 guide the movement of thelift sections 60 toward and away from the base 42, but the ribs 58 and74 engaged in the channels 56 and 76 respectively also resist movementof the lift section 60 transversely of the base 42. Inasmuch as the axisof rotation 30 of the mast 12 extends at right angles to the slidingmovement of the wedge members 54, the ribs 58 and 74 resist movement ofthe legs 28 of the mast 12 along the axis of rotation of the mast 12.

It will be noted that the end wall 43 of the housing 44 remote from thenon-circular extension 72 is provided with a horizontally disposed baseflange 78. A plurality of gussets 80 are secured between the uppersurface of the base flange 78 and the outer surface of the adjacent endwall 48. The gussets 80 provide a considerable amount of extra strengthto the end wall 43 and it will be noted that the end wall 48 is disposedadjacent the rear legs 16 of the A-frame 14.

When the mast 12 is being raised to a vertical position, considerablestresses are placed upon the foot members 3i? secured to the lower endsof the front legs 13 of the A-frame 14 and these stresses tend to urgethe lower ends of the front legs 18 toward the rear legs 16. The endwall 43 reinforced by gussets provides the additional strength neededwhen raising the mast section 12 to a vertical position and definesthrust bearing means for preventing longitudinal shifting of the liftsection toward the legs 16.

Further, the lift section 60 is provided with a plurality of verticalbores 82 which receive the upper ends of studs 84. The studs 84 havetheir lower ends rigidly secured to the base 42 and threaded fasteners86 are secured to the upper threaded ends of the studs 84 for limitingthe movement of the lift sections 60 away from the base 42.

In operation, if it is desired to move the upper end of the mast 12 asseen in FIGURE 2 to the left in order to bring it to a verticalposition, after the attachment 10 has been secured between the footmembers 30 carried by the legs 28 and the substructure or base 20 andspacer blocks 38 have been disposed between the foot members 32 and thesub-structure or base 20 to compensate for the mean vertical height ofthe attachment 10, the screw shaft 68 is rotated in a clockwisedirection as seen from the right side of FIGURE 3 in order to move thewedge members 54 away from each other and thereby increase the verticalheight of the lift member 6|) above the base 42. This will in efiectlengthen the front legs 18 of the A-frame 14 in order to move the upperend of the mast 12 to the left in FIGURE 2 of the drawings.

It will be noted that the side walls 46 of the housing 44 are providedwith upwardly opening V-shaped notches 90 in order that the position ofthe lift section 60 rela tive to the base 42 may be observed. Further,it is to be understood that registering adjacent surfaces of the edgesof the V-shaped notches 90 and the inclined surfaces 62 of the liftsection 60 may be provided with suitable indicia so that the adjustmentof the attachment 10 may be effected in an accurate manner.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

'1. A jack comprising a flat elongated plate-like base, a pair of wedgemembers slidably disposed on the upper surface of said base for movementlongitudinally of said base toward and away from each other, anelongated lift section overlying said wedge members extendinglongitudinally of said base and provided with oppositely inclined lowersurfaces, each of said wedge members having an inclined upper surfacecomplementary to and in sliding contacting relation with one of saidinclined lower surfaces of said lift section, means secured between saidwedges for adjusting the distance therebetween whereby the distancebetween said base and lift section may be varied, guide means on theupper and lower surface of said wedge members engaging the adjacentportions of said lift section and base respectively and restrictingsliding movement of said wedge members along said base and lift sectionto movement longitudinally thereof, and thrust bearing means rigidlysecured to said base and disposed in sliding contacting relation withsaid lift section preventing longitudinal shifting of said lift sectionin one drection.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said thrust bearing meanscomprists an upstanding tubular housing rigidly secured to said baseenclosing said wedge members and in which said lift section is snuglyand slidably received.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said housing includes one end wallopposing longitudinal shifting of said lift section provided with heavyexternal bracing from said base.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said thrust bearing means slidablyengages said lift section and limits movement of the latter to that ofat right angles to the movement of said wedge members.

5. The combination of claim 1 including adjustable means carried by saidbase and engaging said lift section for limiting movement of the latterfrom said base.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said thrust bearing means slidablyengages said lift section and limits movement of the latter to that ofat right angles to the movement of said wedge members, said thrustbearing means including a vertically extending hollow housing secured tosaid base and slidably receiving said lift section, oppositely threadedbores formed through and extending in the direction of travel of saidwedge members, said adjusting means including a screw shaft havingoppositely threaded end portions, means journalling said shaft throughopposite ends of said housing.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said guide means includesat least one outwardly projecting and longitudinally extending rib, atleast one longitudinally extending groove formed in said base and saidlift members slidably receiving said ribs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS466,650 Bogen et al Jan. 5, 1892 722,753 Rhodes et a1 Mar. 17, 19032,570,901 Woolslayer et a1. Oct. 9, 1961 2,847,098 Heinish Aug. 12, 1958FOREIGN PATENTS 4,437 Great Britain of 1878

1. A JACK COMPRISING A FLAT ELONGATED PLATE-LIKE BASE, A PAIR OF WEDGEMEMBERS SLIDABLY DISPOSED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BASE FOR MOVEMENTLONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BASE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, ANELONGATED LIFT SECTION OVERLYING SAID WEDGE MEMBERS EXTENDINGLONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BASE AND PROVIDED WITH OPPOSITELY INCLINED LOWERSURFACES, EACH OF SAID WEDGE MEMBERS HAVING AN INCLINED UPPER SURFACECOMPLEMENTARY TO AND IN SLIDING CONTACTING RELATION WITH ONE OF SAIDINCLINED LOWER SURFACES OF SAID LIFT SECTION, MEANS SECURED BETWEEN SAIDWEDGES FOR ADJUSTING THE DISTANCE THEREBETWEEN WHEREBY THE DISTANCEBETWEEN SAID BASE AND LIFT SECTION MAY BE VARIED, GUIDE MEANS ON THEUPPER AND LOWER SURFACE OF SAID WEDGE MEMBERS ENGAGING THE ADJACENTPORTIONS OF SAID LIFT SECTION AND BASE RESPECTIVELY AND RESTRICTINGSLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID WEDGE MEMBERS ALONG SAID BASE AND LIFT SECTIONTO MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF, AND THRUST BEARING MEANS RIGIDLYSECURED TO SAID BASE AND DISPOSED IN SLIDING CONTACTING RELATION WITHSAID LIFT SECTION PREVENTING LONGITUDINAL SHIFTING OF SAID LIFT SECTIONIN ONE DIRECTION.